Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-xtgtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T18:02:44.091Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

GRAIN YIELD PERFORMANCE OF UPLAND AND LOWLAND RICE VARIETIES UNDER WATER SAVING IRRIGATION THROUGH ALTERNATE WETTING AND DRYING IN SANDY CLAY LOAMS OF SOUTHERN MALAWI

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2014

Y. A. SHAIBU ,
H. R. MLOZA BANDA ,
C. N. MAKWIZA  and
J. CHIDANTI MALUNGA
Y. A. SHAIBU
Affiliation:
Bunda College, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Malawi, P.O. Box 219, Lilongwe, Malawi
H. R. MLOZA BANDA*
Affiliation:
Bunda College, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Malawi, P.O. Box 219, Lilongwe, Malawi
C. N. MAKWIZA
Affiliation:
Bunda College, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Malawi, P.O. Box 219, Lilongwe, Malawi
J. CHIDANTI MALUNGA
Affiliation:
Bunda College, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Malawi, P.O. Box 219, Lilongwe, Malawi
*
†Corresponding author. Email: mlozab@yahoo.co.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

A study was conducted to evaluate performance of two rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties under water saving irrigation through alternate wetting and drying in sandy clay loams of Southern Malawi. The varieties, Nunkile and NERICA 4, are adapted to upland and lowland irrigated conditions, individually, and commonly grown by farmers. Four irrigation regimes were used in the study: (1) continuous flooding with surface water level kept at approximately 5 cm throughout crop duration (CFI), (2) alternate wetting and drying up to start of flowering after which continuous flooding was applied (AWD1), (3) alternate wetting and drying up to start of grain filling after which continuous flooding was applied (AWD2) and (4) alternate wetting and drying throughout the crop duration (AWD3). While seasonal crop water requirement was 690 mm, total irrigation depths were 1923.61, 1307.81, 1160.61 and 807.87 mm for the four regimes respectively. The CFI treatment used 32%, 40% and 58% more water than AWD1, AWD2, and AWD3 regimes respectively. In the same treatment order, the average yields per treatment for Nunkile were 4.92, 4.75, 4.74, and 4.47 t ha−1 with significant yield differences among CFI, AWD2 and AWD3 treatments. The average yields per treatment for NERICA 4 were 3.93, 3.75, 3.75, and 3.71 t ha−1 with significant yield differences only between CFI and all AWD treatments. Crop water productivity (CWP) was higher for Nunkile compared with NERICA 4 across all irrigation treatments, while CWP for CFI treatment was superior to all three AWD treatments grown under either variety. Thus, CWP was not increased with AWD irrigations. AWD till flowering and grain filling did not significantly differ with respect to yield and CWP. It is suggested that for similar conditions and where water is scarce, rice can be grown by AWD till grain filling as it saved more water. An important part of the research is to extend the initial results beyond the climate and soils of study.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , April 2015 , pp. 313 - 326
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abbasi, M. R. and Sepaskhah, A. R. (2011). Response of different rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.) to water-saving irrigation in greenhouse conditions. International Journal of Plant Production 5 (1):37–48.Google Scholar
Allen, R. G., Pereira, L. S., Raes, D. and Smith, M. (1998). Crop evapotranspiration: guidelines for computing crop water requirements. Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 56, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.Google Scholar
Aune, J. B., Sekhar, N. U., Esser, K. and Tesfai, M. (2014). Opportunities for Support to System of Rice Intensification in Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi. Report commissioned by NORAD under the NMBU–Norad Frame. Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Faculty of Social Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.Google Scholar
Bin, D. (2008). Study on environmental implication of water saving irrigation in Zhanghe Irrigation System. Available at:http://www.fao.org/NR/WATER/espim/reference/Study_environment_water_saving.pdf (accessed 13 March 2012).Google Scholar
Bouman, B. A. M, Lampayan, R. M and Tuong, T. P. (2007). Water Management in Irrigated Rice: Copping with Water Scarcity. Los Banos, Philippines: International Rice Research Institute.Google Scholar
Bouman, B. A. M. and Tuong, T. P. (2001). Field water management to save water and increase its productivity in irrigated rice. Agricultural Water Management 49:11–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, K. W. and Turner, F. T (1978). Water balance of flooded rice paddies. Agricultural Water Management 1:277–291.Google Scholar
Buresh, R. J. and Haefele, S. M. (2010). Changes in paddy soils under transition to water-saving and diversified cropping systems. In Soil Solutions for a Changing World, 19th World Congress of Soil Science, 6 August 2010, Brisbane, Australia, 9–121.Google Scholar
Chowdhury, R. MD., Kumar, V., Sattar, A. and Brahmachari, K. (2014). Studies on the water use efficiency and nutrient uptake by rice under system of intensification. The Bioscan 9 (1):85–88.Google Scholar
Cia, X. and Rosegrant, M. W. (2003). World water productivity: current situation and future options. In Water Productivity in Agriculture: Limits and Opportunities for Improvement, 163–178 (Eds Kijne, J. W., Barker, R. and Molden, D.). Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and CABI.Google Scholar
Dass, A. and Chandra, S. (2013). Irrigation, spacing and variety effects on net photosynthetic rate, dry matter partitioning and productivity of rice under system of rice intensification in mollisols of Northern India. Experimental Agriculture 35:1–20.Google Scholar
Enciso, J. M., Porter, D. and Peries, X. (2007). Irrigation monitoring with soil water sensors. Available at: http://www.extension.org/mediawiki/files/d/db/SoilWaterSensors.pdf (accessed 15 January 2011).Google Scholar
Evans, R. (1996). Measuring soil water for irrigation scheduling: monitoring methods and devices. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Publication No. AG. 452-2. Available at: http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/evans/ag452-2.html (accessed 12 March 2011).Google Scholar
Fageria, N. K., Moreira, A. and Coelho, A. M. (2011). Yield and yield components of upland rice as influenced by nitrogen sources. Journal of Plant Nutrition 34:361–370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). (2009). CROPWAT 8.0 for Windows. Rome, Italy. Available at: http://www.fao.org/nr/water/infores_databases_cropwat.html (accessed 5 November 2010).Google Scholar
Geerts, S. and Raes, D. (2009). Deficit irrigation as an on-farm strategy to maximize crop water productivity in dry areas. Agricultural Water Management 96:1275–1284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herbert, F. (1965). Flumes for open channel flow measurement. Available at: http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/OCW/IRRIGATION/ecfile200412247605157683/EN/ (accessed on 15 August 2012).Google Scholar
IRRI (International Rice Research Institute). (2009). Saving water: alternate wetting and drying.. Available at: http://www.solutionsforwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/watermanagement_FSAWD3.pdf (accessed 3 January 2010).Google Scholar
Labrada, R. (2003). The need for improved weed management in rice. In Sustainable Rice Production for Food Security, Proceedings of the 20th Session of the International Rice Commission, pp. 65–80 (Ed D. V. Tran), Bangkok, Thailand, 23–26 July 2002. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.Google Scholar
Lantican, M. A., Lampayan, R. M., Bhuiyan, S. I. and Yadav, M. K. (1999). Determinants of improving productivity of dry-seeded rice in rainfed lowlands. Experimental Agriculture 35:127–140.Google Scholar
Malawi Government. (2003). Guide to Agricultural Production and Natural.Resources.Management.in.Malawi. Lilongwe, Malawi: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Agricultural.Communication Branch.Google Scholar
Molden, D. (1997). Accounting for water use and productivity. SWIM Paper 1, International Irrigation Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka.Google Scholar
O’Neill, M. and Lee, C. J. (2009). Statistical modelling of a split-block agricultural field experiment. Available at: http://www.agrotechresearch.com/content/view/22/38/ (accessed 14 March 2011).Google Scholar
Sasakawa Global 2000. (2009). Nerica: origins, nomenclature and identification characteristics. Available at: http://www.africarice.org/publications/nerica-comp/module%202_Low.pdf (accessed 25 December 2011).Google Scholar
Steel, R. G. D., Torrie, J. H. and Dicky, D. A. (1997). Principle and Procedure of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach, 3rd edn.Singapore: McGraw Hill.Google Scholar
Thakur, A. K., Uphoff, N. and Antony, E. (2010). An assessment of physiological effects of system of rice intensification (SRI) practices compared with recommended rice cultivation practices in India. Experimental Agriculture 46 (1):77–98.Google Scholar
Uphoff, N., Kassam, A. and Thakur, A. (2013). Challenges of increasing water saving and water productivity in the rice sector: introduction to the system of rice intensification (SRI) and this issue 2013. Taiwan Water Conservancy 61 (4):1–13.Google Scholar
Venema, J. H. (1991). Land resources appraisal of Machinga Agricultural Development Division. Land Resources Evaluation Project AG: DP/MLW/05/011. GOM/UNDP/FAO Field Document No. 23. Lilongwe, Malawi: Ministry of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Yan, J., Yu, J., Tao, G. C., Vos, J, Bouman, B. A. M., Xie, G. H. and Meinke, H. (2010). Yield formation and tillering dynamics of direct-seeded rice in flooded and non-flooded soils in the Huai River Basin of China. Field Crops Research 116 (3):252–259.Google Scholar
Yoshida, S. (1972). Physiological aspects of grain yield. Annual Review of Plant Physiology 23:437–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhao, L., Wu, L., Li, Y., Lu, X., Zhu, D and Uphoff, N. (2009). Influence of the system of rice intensification on rice yield and nitrogen and water use efficiency with different N application rates. Experimental Agriculture 45:275–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar